


Therefore, Therein

by BlackCats



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Post-P4 DAN
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-19 00:02:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7336561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackCats/pseuds/BlackCats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where, exactly, he fell in love with her...he can't say.<br/>(Yu, Rise, and the future--looking bright.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Therefore, Therein

 

It’s not terribly hard to convince the security guard to let him backstage for an impromptu visit—not after it’s become such common knowledge that Rise Kujikawa has friends from high school that are welcome to see her anytime.

…It probably helps that _all of Japan_ saw them dance with her and Kanami on-stage just a few months ago. A little bit of conversation, and the guard yields without Yu even having to ask to speak to Rise’s manager.

You’d think being behind the scenes would be stuffy compared to the wide-open auditorium he’d just vacated, but that wasn’t the case. Sure, the corridors were cramped and the air conditioning seemed to be on the fritz, but not having ten thousand screaming fans around made the place feel as spacious as the sports field in Inaba. Yu steps over a tangled net of extension cords and weaves around a yawning intern, keeping his hand behind his back all the while.

Upon reaching the door clearly marked “PRIVATE” in bold magenta letters, Yu knocks twice, and waits.

“Mishitaka-san, is that you? You can come in!”

Not bothering to bite back the smile forming on his lips, Yu lets himself in. He’s scarcely even closed the door before Rise’s eyes meet his in the grand mirror dominating half the wall, and she beams brighter than any light on stage.

“Senpai?! You didn’t tell me you were coming!”

Yu’s got a death grip on a bundle of flowers and it takes some quick maneuvering to return the embrace she’s giving him without crushing the delicate stems between them. Standing on the very tips of her toes, Rise’s leaning into him like she’s trying to push him to the ground, grinning from ear to ear.

She’s halfway through taking off some ribbons and one of her earrings is missing.

She’s _beautiful_.

“Sorry,” he says with a low chuckle. “I was trying to surprise you. Forgive me?”

“ _Weeell_ , I might…”

Noticing the impish gleam in her eyes as she looks up at him—she’s still resting against his chest—he shows her the bouquet of assorted flowers, tucking a bloom behind her ear in one smooth movement.

“…No fair, Yu-senpai!” Her face colors slightly as she smiles. “Okay, I’ll let it go _this_ time.”

As Rise takes the flowers from him, Yu takes a seat on an empty stool beside her vanity, glancing around at the almost-painfully-bright makeup room. The mere sight of it brings back fond memories from the music festival; the nostalgia feels almost unbearably warm.

“You did great today, Rise,” Yu says after a moment. “And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who thinks so. I might’ve gone a bit deaf from how loudly the crowd was cheering.”

“Aww, thanks! If I’d known you were coming tonight, I’d have done something special just for you.” She winks at him in the mirror as she continues to remove some of her more gaudy accessories. “What brings you out this way, senpai? I thought you lived pretty far from here.”

“Business trip, with my father. I’m not getting into his line of work, but he said he needed an extra pair of hands, so…”

“Hehe! I guess you wouldn’t be you if you turned down helping someone.” For a few moments, her hair falls in a luxurious curtain around her face before she begins tying it back into her customary pigtails. “You know you didn’t have to pay for a ticket though, yeah? I’m pretty sure I could’ve gotten you into the VIP section—and then maybe you could’ve spared your ears from all the ringing.”

Her grin is mischievous. His reply is warm.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to support you.”

Rise’s eyes move away from his, falling down onto the table for a moment. “And I’m happy you’re here. Thanks for coming, senpai.”

Yu shakes his head. “I’d go to every show of yours if I could.”

“Well, I wouldn’t ask _that_ much of you,” she laughs. “Maybe every other show.”

Finished with her task, Rise pivots to face him, curiosity etching every word, tracing every movement, following behind the silence left after her question, which is: “Is something on your mind, senpai? You look a little distracted.”

He considers this, knowing exactly what’s on his mind, but still not certain how to broach it. The arcana circle in silent contemplation in the sea of his soul, but this is not something he feels he needs to ask the cards about. The Personas therein, therefore, are silent.

“…A house with a white picket fence,” he says at length. Rise’s brows furrow. “A dog…and kids.”

There’s a beat. He watches the realization send her eyes flying wide.

(He’s reminded of the day. He’d accepted chocolates from his friends and given some in return, but he hadn’t been dating, hadn’t been doing anything particular.

But he’d spent the day with Rise, anyway, and they talked on the beach; just the two of them, and something more, something he hadn’t been ready for yet, undeniably blossomed.)

“You told me that on White Day, back in Inaba. It’s a dream of yours, right?” Yu speaks as calmly as he ever does, but there’s a tremble in his fingers that he stills by pressing his hand over his heart. “I don’t know if you still feel the same way, but if you do…We could make that dream a reality. Not right now. I know you only just got your career as an idol rolling again, and I’ve still got a ways to go with school.”

Despite himself, he breaks eye-contact, smiling wryly.

“…But, later on. First things first. I know what I said back then, about not wanting to date anyone in the Investigation Team…Just…If it’s not too late, I’d love nothing more than to call you my girlfriend.”

He looks at her again. She’s gone very still.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you for a long time. Sorry it’s taken so long to admit.”

“What made you wait?” she asks suddenly, and it’s not a question he hasn’t expected. “I mean, what did the Investigation Team have to do with it?”

“I was worried about causing drama, I guess? Well, actually, I suppose I was just frightened.”

“ _You?_ Frightened? What scares _you_ , senpai?”

The disbelief in her voice causes Yu to chuckle. “Well, I’m afraid of breaking the bonds I’ve made. Relationships are great, just…damage caused by romantic ones are particularly hard to fix. I’ve pondered this for a while, and it’s only just recently that I finally decided on what to do.”

He shrugs, less an attempt at nonchalance and more like _“Well, there it is,”_ in physical form.

“I’ve always known it’s there. I was just doing some soul-searching to get to the right answer.”

Yu remembers Yosuke suddenly, thinking about how his best friend had laughed at the fact that Yu could speak with such ease about his personal issues; admit them, acknowledge them, and then work to improve them. It’s why his Shadow never manifested, after all, the incident with Sho notwithstanding.

“…Senpai,” Rise begins, reproachful. “You are _so silly_.”

She moves closer, and he smells the perfume she wears nearly every day, her favorite brand that’s all sweet and floral and girly to the max. Yu meets her gaze, and he feels more foolish than he ever expected to as she speaks.

“It really took you _this long_ to realize it’d take more than some dating issues to test our friendship? I know you were thinking about back then, when we were all going through so much at the time, but still! After everything we've done together, and how much we've learned about each other, I don't think there's  _anything_ that would ever break what we have. Not just you and me, but _all of us_."

Her arms go around him again, but it’s in reassurance, her chin on his shoulder; he’s sitting, but she’s moved up and over for a proper embrace.

“...And there's nothing that would ever make me stop loving you. My feelings for you have never changed, Yu-senpai,” she murmurs quiet at first. “Of _course_ I’ll be your girlfriend!”

In honesty? He’s reeling. Yu’s not used to being the one on the receiving end of the motivational speech. She’s not said much, but there’s a sincerity to every syllable that he’s actually a little envious of. He hugs her to him, standing up and causing her to let out a squeak of surprise as he lifts her.

“I’ll do my best to make you the happiest girl alive,” he says simply.

“Senpai, you already _have_.”

~***~

It’s some time later, when they’re at Yu’s hotel room eating takeout because neither of them want to deal with paparazzi that he remarks:

“I realized I wanted to ask you out a while ago, but I couldn’t seem to find the right time.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Between the incident with Labrys, the situation with Sho, the Midnight Stage…Like I said, I wanted to surprise you, and I wanted to do so in person.” Tickets to her concerts are _not_ cheap.

“Hmm…All right,” Rise graciously concedes, “I wouldn’t have been very happy if you tried something like this on the phone, anyway.”

He thanks her with a kiss, which she is only too happy to return.

**Author's Note:**

> completely, wholly, spontaneously written; it's been a while so i'm probably a bit rusty. i do like to sometimes explore the protagonist being less than utterly perfect--some uncertainty and such can be fun to look at.


End file.
